Vignettes of Iroh
by razzledazzle41191
Summary: The Tale of Iroh revisited: everything that day, not just the final scene, reminded Iroh of his most precious son on Lu Ten's birthday.


This story alternates between the present day and flashbacks, which are in italics.

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Iroh strolled down the busy Ba Sing Se street, looking for the perfect picnic basket. Everything had to be perfect today.

"If this is for a romantic picnic, may I suggest this lavender one?" said the shopkeeper as he came to help Iroh.

"No, it's not a romantic picnic," laughed Iroh, "But it is a special occasion." As he paid for his basket, he spied a moonflower…

"_Lu Ten, why is your mother's moonflower in the shade?"_

_"Because I put it there," answered the five-year-old boy._

_"Son, plants need light."_

_"But Dad-"_

_"Without the warmth of the Sun, the ultimate source of fire, plants die."_

_"But Dad-"_

_"Do you want your mother's flower to die?"_

_"No, that's why-"_

_"Then put it back in the light."_

_Iroh got up from the one knee he had taken so that his eyes could be level with his son's, but Lu Ten pulled on his sleeves._

_"But Dad!"_

_Iroh kneeled back down. "Lu Ten, I am your father, and you need to do as I say."_

_Tears welled up in Lu Ten's eyes._

_"I __**know**__ Dad, just watch!"_

_Iroh watched, transfixed, as Lu Ten pulled the moonflower into the sunlight and let it wither. When he pushed it back into the shade, the petals reopened. Lu Ten looked up to Iroh and said, "The moonflower likes partial shade."_

Iroh bowed to the merchant and walked away. As he did so, he spied a liuqin; simultaneously, he heard a small boy cry out to his mother.

"Wahh!"

"Shh. It's ok. Shh." The mother seemed too worn out to console her child. Iroh decided to sing a song that could calm any child…

_"Now son, stop crying. It is not honorable for a man to show his emotions in such an open matter." But rather than calm him, the words seemed to make Lu Ten even more upset. Iroh sighed and sad down on Lu Ten's bed._

_"I'm sorry Son. I shouldn't have said that. But you knew that I was going to have to go back to war soon." He put his arm around Lu Ten as he continued. "And didn't we have a great last day together?"_

_Lu Ten sniffled and nodded._

_"Do you remember what we did?"_

_Lu Ten looked up at Iroh and said, "We went to the beach and flew kites and built a sand castle and you taught me a new firebending move and you helped me play a prank on Uncle Oazi."_

_Iroh chuckled. "See Lu Ten, now while I'm off at war, you can think of all the fun times we had today."_

_Apparently satisfied, Lu Ten snuggled under his covers. Iroh started to get up, but Lu Ten asked, "Dad? Before you go, can we sing our song?"_

_Iroh had created a lullaby when Lu Ten was born, and he always sang his son to sleep with it. Even though he didn't need to be rocked to sleep anymore, Lu Ten still liked the song, and Iroh was glad that he did._

_Iroh smiled. "Of course, my son."_

_Then, father and son sang:_

_Leaves from the vine_

_Falling so slow_

_Like fragile, tiny shells_

_Drifting in the foam._

_Little soldier boy_

_Come marching home._

_Brave soldier boy_

_Comes marching home._

As Iroh walked along, he saw four boys playing soccer, a sport common to all four nations. These boys, however, had put an Earth Kingdom twist on the classic game. Rather than their feet, they used earthbending to propel the ball. One boy nearly made a goal, before the goalie stopped him…

_Iroh sighed as he stared at the mound of work on his desk. He had just arrived home from the war two days ago, and the Fire Lord, his father, already had him cleaning up messes, mostly royal scandals. It wasn't hard, but it sure was tedious._

_Someone knocked on the door. "Come in," Iroh called._

_The door opened behind him. "Dad?" a voice asked._

_Iroh turned around in his chair to see his twelve-year-old son with a grayish soccer ball. "Yes, Lu Ten?"_

_"Do yo-can you come play outside for a while? I invented this new game and I want to play it with you."_

_Iroh sighed. "I'd love to Son, but as you can see," he said as he gestured to his desk, "I'm swamped with paperwork."_

_"Aww, Dad! All you've done since you got home is paperwork! One hour of fun won't kill you." Lu Ten's eyes sparkled as he asked, "Please?"_

_Iroh grinned; maybe a break would be nice. It was certainly better than covering up his cousin's marriage to a water-tribe peasant._

_The pair ran out to a courtyard where goals were already set up._

_"I played this with my friends today," Lu Ten said, "but I thought you'd like it too." As he spoke, he created a stick with a net on it out of fire. Then, he threw the ball into his net. He explained, "The ball doesn't burn because it's covered in the same metal that our warships are made out of."_

_Iroh smiled. His son really was ingenious sometimes (where did that genius go when it was time for school, he wondered). Iroh created his own fire-stick and the game began. Lu Ten ran toward Iroh's goal and tried to score, but Iroh blocked his shot. The ball bounced back to Lu Ten, who tried to score a second time. This time he made it, which meant that Iroh had possession of the ball. He ran toward Lu Ten's goal and chucked the ball. His son was quick, however, and blocked his father's shot. The ball bounced off Lu Ten's fire-stick and crashed into a widow, burning the curtains inside in the process. They both heard a loud, "Hey!" and Lu Ten looked over nervously to his father, who decided to set a good example._

_"It is usually best to admit mistakes when they occur, and to seek to restore honor-"_

_Suddenly, Oazi's face appeared in the window as he shouted, "When I am through with you, the window won't be the only thing that's broken!"_

_Abandoning his previous ideas, Iroh said, "-but not this time. Run!" And with that, father and son ran as fast as they could go while laughing hysterically. Honestly, Oazi could be so dramatic. It was only a window, after all._

As Iroh sped through the marketplace, he found a dark alley where he could hide. He put his basket down and looked out to see if he was being followed. Suddenly, he heard a voice from behind him.

"You! Give me all your money!"

Iroh was scared when he turned around and saw a dagger in his face, but one look at the man's feet showed that he had no clue what he was doing, so he asked the man just what he **was** doing.

"I'm mugging you!" the man cried.

"With that stance?"

The man looked confused and asked, "What are you talking about? Just give me your money old man!"

Iroh hated to embarrass the man, but he needed a lesson. "With a poor stance you are unbalanced, and you can be easily knocked over."

With a single swift move, Iroh grabbed the man's arm, took his weapon, and threw him to the ground. The would-be mugger cried out and flinched as he fell. Iroh held out his hand to the poor man, who gingerly took it.

"With a more solid stance, you are a much more serious threat." Iroh physically showed the man what he meant. The man tried to copy Iroh, but something wasn't right. Iroh noticed that his backside was not how it should be, and he helped him fix it.

"Much better! But to tell you the truth, you do not look like the criminal type."

"I know, I'm…I'm just confused." the man stammered.

Iroh smiled. This is exactly what he had been hoping for when he saw the man. Twenty minutes later, the man was finished with his story and actually began to look hopeful for the first time since their meeting.

"So you really think I could be a good masseur?" he asked while Iroh poured him some tea.

"Of course!" Iroh affirmed.

The man smiled that wonderful smile and said, almost to himself, "This is so great! No one has ever believed in me…"

_Iroh had never been so nervous before going off to war, including his first time. This time his son would be going as well, though not specifically under Iroh's command. Iroh was leading all of the troops to finally penetrate the so-called "impenetrable city" of Ba Sing Se. The whole army was abuzz with excitement. The war would finally be over with after this last great siege. But it was still __**his**__ son…_

_Iroh got up to clear his mind. He walked aimlessly around the palace, only half-seeing where he was going. Before he knew it, he was in the courtyard with the turtle-duck pond. He wasn't alone, however; Lu Ten was sitting with his legs crossed in front of the pond with his back to Iroh. The father sat down next to the son._

_They both sat there for some time, just watching the turtle-ducks and enjoying each other's presence. Finally, Lu Ten spoke: "You know, playing in this pond with you and Mom is one of my earliest memories. I just wanted to come out here before I leave, in case it's the last time I see it."_

_Iroh didn't need to look into his son's eyes to know that he was truly frightened. No matter what he really felt, Iroh had to be brave for his son._

_"War is dangerous, Son. But you are an excellent soldier, and a superb firebender, and I know you will see this pond again after we complete our mission."_

_Lu Ten gave a small, sad smile and replied, "Thanks Dad, but I know you're just saying that to calm me down. No one knows what's going to happen. Anything could happen. We could win, we could lose, I could die, you could die, __**anything**__."_

_Iroh saw the look of despair on his son's face, and searched his heart for the needed words. "You're right Son; I don't know what's going to happen. A great number of things, both foreseeable and unforeseeable, could happen. But it doesn't matter. None of that matters. You are a great firebender, and you have proved that more times than I can count. You have a courage and determination that many generals, including me myself, envy. You love your nation, and you serve her proudly. I believe in you, and the thing I __**know**__ will happen is that you will make me proud."_

_Lu Ten embraced his father and whispered, "Thanks Dad."_

_Iroh eagerly returned the hug and whispered back, "While it is always best to believe in one's self, a little help from others can be a great blessing."_

Iroh walked up a hill inside the city as the sun sank. He looked out over the grand city and sighed. He had to do this, though it would be painful. Iroh set his basket and hat on the ground. He began to create a memorial out of the things in his basket and of rocks he found on the ground. Then, he pulled out the portrait of his son. He held on to it for a few moments before carefully placing it in the middle of his memorial. Finally, he lit two joss sticks and placed them on either side of the picture.

"Happy birthday my son," Iroh whispered as he kneeled on the hill where an earthbender's rock-arrow had taken his son's life. He began to cry as he continued, "If only I could have helped you." In a shaky voice he sang, and for a few moments he was no longer Iroh the refugee, hiding out in Ba Sing Se, but Iroh the father, grieving the loss of his most precious son, Lu Ten.

Leaves from the vine

Falling so slow

Like fragile, tiny shells

Drifting in the foam.

Little soldier boy

Come marching home.

Brave soldier boy

Comes marching home.

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Thanks so much for reading; I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I've had this idea in my head for a while, but it took some time to actually put the pen to the paper. Reviews would be lovely, if you think that this is worth reviewing.


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